Congresswoman wants pensions for top brass rolled back – USA Today, by Tom Vanderbrook, January 10, 2025
Pensions for three- and four-star generals and admirals should be rolled back to pre-2007 levels, before Congress approved hikes of as much as 63% to the retirement packages of top brass, according to a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/nation/2014/01/10/rep-jackie-speier-armed-services-committee-four-star-pensions/4410831/#channel=f1c947c7036cb8&channel_path=%2F%2Fwww.gannett-cdn.com%2Fstatic%2Fusat-web-static-13.1.1%2Fhtml%2Fchannel.html%3Ffb_xd_fragment%23xd_sig%3Df47c680a395326%26&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com
Sea level rise focus of conference: Federal, state, local officials to highlight potential impact on San Mateo County - December 07, 2013, 05:00 AM By Samantha Weigel Daily Journal
San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, and Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, are hosting a conference to address how San Mateo County can begin to prepare for the effects of sea level rise.
About 300 people have registered for Meeting the Challenge of Sea Level Rise in San Mateo County on Monday morning at the College of San Mateo. National, state and local officials and environmental experts will speak about the magnitude of the reported effects the county faces.
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2013-12-07/sea-level-rise-focus-of-conference-federal-state-local-officials-to-highlight-potential-impact-on-san-mateo-county/1776425114559.html
Speier holds San Mateo forum on new health care law
By Aaron Kinney, [email protected] Posted: 11/22/2013 10:35:19 AM PST |
SAN MATEO — Got questions about the Obama administration’s new health care law? You may be able to find some answers on Saturday.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, and Covered California, the state’s new health care exchange, will hold an informational event dubbed “Healthcare 411″ from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Mateo Main Library.
The forum will include advice on how to enroll in the new marketplace; individual appointments with Covered California representatives; workshops and information booths; and free health screenings for skin cancer, blood pressure, mental illness, cholesterol and other conditions.
http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_24579965/speier-holds-san-mateo-forum-new-health-care
Speier, Tissier Host 500 Seniors at SM County Event Center Monday
Posted by Dave Colby (Editor) ,
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo/Redwood City) and San Mateo County Supervisor Adrienne Tissier will host the 26th annual Seniors On The Move Conference on Monday, November 4, 2024 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the San Mateo County Event Center.
http://burlingame-hillsborough.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/speier-tissier-host-500-seniors-at-sm-county-event-center-monday
From KGO: Rep. Jackie Speier holds gun violence prevention summit, April 29, 2024
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) — She couldn’t get gun legislation to make it through the Republican-controlled house. So Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, is trying another approach. She hosted a summit on gun violence prevention on Monday.
In Redwood City at the Oracle Conference Center the event was packed. The conference was for educators, law enforcement, mental health professionals and elected representatives all working on local solutions for preventing gun violence at schools. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=9084246
Watchdog caucus bolsters oversight
By: Rep. Jackie Speier and Rep. Mike Coffman
Politico.com. March 18, 2024 09:36 PM EDT
There was nothing funny about the 2010 General Services Administration conference in Las Vegas that featured a clown, a mind reader and an overall taxpayer price tag of $820,000. Billed as a team-building exercise complete with an elaborate reception, the event has become another sad chapter on wasteful federal government spending. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=C3FE5407-B02C-47EC-AE14-584E249006E9
Congresswoman Jackie Speier wants probe into military’s dropped charges against Santa Cruz cop killer
By Jason Hoppin
Santa Cruz Sentinelmercurynews.com
March 12, 2024 3:49 AM GMTUpdated: 03/11/2024 08:49:30 PM PDT
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A member of the House Armed Services committee on Monday called for a full investigation into the Army’s dropped rape charges against Santa Cruz cop killer Jeremy Peter Goulet.
A prominent critic of the military’s handling of sexual assault cases, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, said she wants a Capitol Hill hearing on why two Army court martials brought against Goulet in 2006 were dropped in exchange for a “less than honorable” discharge. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22766639/congresswoman-jackie-speier-wants-probe-into-militarys-dropped
Lawmakers unveil an online sales tax bill, again
By: Michelle Quinn and Lauren French
Politico.com. February 15, 2025 04:39 AM EDT
Lawmakers unveiled Thursday what they hope will be the final federal online sales tax bill, promising that this will be the year Congress deals with the issue.
The Marketplace Fairness Act, which resolves differences between three similar bills introduced in the last Congress, would give states the power to require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales tax. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=9FF2E8E3-5899-4E06-AE25-2D667608ED72
Speier introduces bill to fight military sexual assaults
Thursday, January 24, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO-ABC) — The announcement on Thursday to allow women to serve in combat roles comes right in the middle of a scandal in the military, involving the sexual assault of nearly 60 trainees by their trainers, at Lackland Air Base.
San Mateo Congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, is fighting to prevent future military sexual assaults, help victims and punish the attackers. She told me exclusively on Thursday afternoon that she will introduce a tough new proposal Friday to protect trainees. It’s because some of the attackers said the sex was consensual. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=8967164
Jackie Speier: No excuses for inaction on gun violence on Connecticut School Shooting.
1/14/13 6:16 p.m. PST There is no perfect solution to curbing gun violence in this country. Even if we enact comprehensive background checks on gun buyers - which we must - opponents will argue that the wrong person will still be able to get a gun and kill. We can’t allow this as an excuse to do nothing. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/No-excuses-for-inaction-on-gun-violence-4193737.php#ixzz2IFFkydgO
Jackie Speier: I regret that I haven’t done more to stop the unspeakable
Special to the Mercury Newsmercurynews.com Updated: 12/21/2012 04:04:11 PM PST
Nine days ago we were confronted with utter madness, the deepest of sorrows and ultimately the shame of not doing more to prevent Newtown.http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22240476/jackie-speier-i-regret-that-i-havent-done
Navy calls for changes after report on sex assaults at military academies
By Jennifer Hlad, Stars and Stripes, Published: December 21, 2024
WASHINGTON – Top Navy leaders are calling for immediate changes at the Naval Academy after a report indicated the number of sexual assaults has not decreased but reporting of the crimes at the Academy has. http://www.stripes.com/navy-calls-for-changes-after-report-on-sex-assaults-at-military-academies-1.201508
Rep. Speier on CNN’s The Situation room discussing sexual assaults at U.S. Military Academies
December 19, 2024
http://situationroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/19/sex-crimes-at-military-academies/?hpt=sr_bn5
Rep. Speier: ‘Raising the retirement age is just stupid’
MSNBC Jansing and Co. December 13, 2024
Congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said during an appearance on Jansing & Co. that she thinks “raising the retirement age is just stupid” and that she’s absolutely willing to compromise on the fiscal cliff and she suggests looking at making cuts to the defense budget. http://video.msnbc.msn.com/jansing-and-co/50187950#50187950
Jackie Speier Introduces ‘Stop Harming Our Kids’ Resolution, Hits ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion ‘Quackery’
The Huffington Post | By Nick Wing 11/29/2012 2:04 pm EST
“Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered is not a disease to be cured or a mental illness that requires treatment,” Speier said Wednesday at a press conference while unveiling the “Stop Harming Our Kids (SHOK) resolution.” “Any effort to change sexual orientation is not medicine, it’s quackery, and we should not be supporting it with taxpayer dollars.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/jackie-speier-stop-harming-our-kids_n_2212505.html
Congress should even retail playing field
By: Rep. Steve Womack and Rep. Jackie Speier, November 25, 2024 09:13 PM EST
Black Friday formally kicked off the holiday shopping season and, today, the shopping continues online as we celebrate Cyber Monday. Created in 2005, Cyber Monday has rapidly become one of the biggest online shopping days of the year, http://politi.co/UV1yFt
San Mateo Daily Journal, OP-ED: Don’t leave any veterans behind
November 10, 2012, 05:00 AM By Jackie Speier
I was recently alone in an elevator that was to take me up four floors to my district office in San Mateo. The elevator door opened and closed…http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&title=OP-ED: Don’t leave any veterans behind&id=1757912
Congresswoman Speier receives the endorsement of the San Mateo Daily Journal, 10/30 - http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=opinions&title=Recommendations for the November election&id=1757298&eddate=10/31/2012
Tribune- 10/25- Congresswoman Speier and Tammy Duckworth, Congressional candidate criticizes Walsh on abortion http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-duckworth-criticizes-walsh-on-abortion-20121025,0,5197609,print.story
Daily Herald- 10/25- Lawmaker who needed abortion takes on Walsh http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20121025/news/710259792/
Calling the Republican-led House a “sandbox for extremism,” Congresswoman Jackie Speier who underwent two medically necessary abortions traveled to the 8th Congressional District to criticize Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh’s claim that science and technological advancements have made the procedure largely unnecessary.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier blasts Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh on the need for medically induced abortions (www.Politico.com) Congressman Joe Walsh’s claim that abortions are never necessary to save the life of the mother “showed absolute ignorance about science and medicine…
Congresswoman Jackie Speier introduces Veterans Nutrition Bill (San Jose Mercury News)
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo/San Francisco) introduced legislation to enhance veterans’ access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program …
Congresswoman Speier’s “Made in America” Tour (San Jose Mercury News)
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) hit a San Francisco mattress firm this week to launch a tour underscoring her call for a stronger commitment …
Congresswoman Jackie Speier at center of online tax debate (KGO)
[Jul 24, 2012] SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — The era of tax-free shopping online may finally be coming to an end. Congress is working on bi-partisan online tax legislation that looks …
Congresswoman pleads for the House to address issue of rape in the military (Examiner)
In an impassioned speech before members of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Speier pleaded for the House to act against the epidemic of rape in the military. Her speech addressed to recent sex scandal involving Air force military instruction trainers at Lackland Air Force Base (see article: Some Air Force military training instructors targeted female recruits for sex. Also in the Examiner:
Congresswoman pleads for the House to address issue of rape in the military.”
Air Force investigates growing sex-abuse scandal (The Washington Post)
The Air Force is investigating a growing sexual-misconduct scandal in its basic-training operations, with a dozen male boot-camp instructors under suspicion of assaulting, harassing or having sex with female recruits. The case originated with a single complaint filed a year ago by a woman at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. It has snowballed into potentially the worst sex scandal in the U.S. military since 1996, when 12 male soldiers were charged with abusing female recruits and trainees at the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
Jackie Speier: Affordable Care Act Ruling ‘A Victory’ (Belmont Patch)
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) released a statement Thursday applauding the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold provisions of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, calling it “a victory for all Americans.” Her statement reads: “The Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is a victory for every family, including the parents whose children would otherwise be without insurance. This is a victory for seniors who have saved more than $4 billion on their prescription drugs. In 2014, those with pre-existing conditions will no longer be discriminated against by health insurers.”
Military Sexual Assault Accusers Head to Capitol Hill (ABC News)
Four military victims of alleged sexual assault by a fellow comrade or officer in the military met with Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Rep. Bruce Baley, D-Iowa, on Capitol Hill Wednesday to discuss the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act, more commonly known as the STOP Act, a piece of legislation introduced by Speier that would remove authority from the chain of command to investigate military sexual-assault allegations and give the power of investigation to an outside Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office.
Rape and Sexual Harassment in the Military: ‘The Invisible War’ (KQED News)
Rape and sexual harassment in the armed services is a problem that’s far too common. The Defense Department estimates there may be more than 19,000 assaults a year. The issue is also the subject of a new documentary “The Invisible War,” opening tonight in San Francisco. And it’s become a personal crusade for U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, a Democrat representing the Northern Peninsula.
Bay Area Officials Praise New Obama Policy On Young Illegal Immigrants (CBS News, San Francisco)
Bay Area officials Friday hailed a move by President Barack Obama to provide temporary relief from deportation to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Among those voicing their support for the new policy Friday were elected officials from San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon to U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo and Barbara Lee, D-Oakland.
Why Rapists in the Military Get Away with It (CNN.com)
If you serve in the U.S. military and are raped, chances are your attacker will get away with it. Rep. Jackie Speier says this must stop.
Congresswoman Celebrates Local Manufacturers at County Fair (Redwood City Patch)
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) will once again host a “Make it in America Exhibit,” for the second year in a row, at the San Mateo County Fair.
Congresswoman Joins Students, Teachers Rally for Adult Education in San Mateo (San Mateo County Times)
Rep. Jackie Speier joined students, teachers and union members at the East Poplar Avenue headquarters in defending the (adult education) program.
Two Hearts Are Better Than One (Esquire)
There is absolutely no snark to be found in the story of how decorated Korean War veteran and former Representative Pete McCloskey gave one of his Purple Hearts to current congresscritter Jackie Speier.
Between Two Public Servants, Purple Heart-felt Admiration (L.A. Times)
Rep. Jackie Speier was shot five times in Jonestown. Former Rep. ‘Pete’ McCloskey, wounded twice in Korea, thought she should have been recognized — so he gave her one of his Purple Hearts.
Congress Passes Bill Requiring VA to Reduce Backlog of Disability Claims (Pulse of the Bay)
Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce the time it takes to process veterans’ disability claims. A report accompanying the legislation also called on the VA to eliminate backlogs at the Oakland regional office, where veterans can wait years for a decision on their claims.
Lawmaker Honored 33 Years Later (Roll Call)
For every private thing we know about Members of Congress, there are still amazing stories that go unnoticed. This is one such story. Two, really: one of generosity and the other of bravery.
Jobless, Indebted Grads Hit by ‘Diploma Despair’ (The Examiner)
You just graduated from college. You were taught at an early age to follow your dreams, reach for the stars and find work that makes you happy. You were taught that everything will work out if you believe in yourself.
Veterans and Politicians Discuss Disability Claim Backlog at Oakland VA Office (San Francisco Chronicle)
A backlog of unprocessed disability claims in the Oakland Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has led military veterans to call on congressional leaders for assistance to obtain benefits.
In S.F., Wounded Veterans Demand Action from VA (San Francisco Chronicle)
More than 200 veterans, from an old man who stormed Normandy to a young man who invaded Baghdad, came together Monday in San Francisco with a common purpose: getting the government to pay for their wounds.
Incremental progress from the Oakland VA (Contra Costa Times)
Vietnam veteran Ben Curtis had been waiting 19 months for the Oakland … Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who with Congresswoman Barbara Lee sponsored the event.
Congress, VA Meet with Vets on Disability Claim Backlog (The Bay Citizen)
For the last several years, Bay Citizen reporter Aaron Glantz has covered the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as the problems facing veterans when they return from duty.
Lawmakers Call for GAO to Review $37 Billion Navy Vessel Program (The Maritime Executive)
Lawmakers are pushing for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review a ship program for 55 vessels, worth $37 billion dollars. The call for review was led by California Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D) who said in a statement that “serious flaws…threaten the operational capabilities of the ship.”
Op-Ed: Speier: ‘AAPI Community Represents Very Best of American Life’ (San Bruno Patch)
In May of each year, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the remarkable contributions of the AAPI community to our nation. As a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am proud to represent one of the largest Filipino and Chinese communities in the Bay Area. In fact, my district is home to the largest Filipino-American community of any district in the continental United States, and fighting in Congress to solve the unique challenges the AAPI community faces is very important to me. As we celebrate AAPI heritage month, we have a vivid reminder in my district of what happens when fear and ignorance overtakes our good common sense. Just last week we remembered the 70th anniversary of Tanforan Race Track becoming Tanforan Relocation Center where roughly 8,000 Japanese Americans were held before they were moved to internment camps. Today, a Japanese garden on the Tanforan property honors the memory of those who were interned, including the 65 babies who were born in the stables.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier speaks to SF State seniors about student loan debt – GG Xpress (Golden Gate Xpress)
In an effort to raise student voices in the fight against the pending increase in student loan interest rates, Congresswoman Jackie Speier paid a visit to SF State today to meet with students. The congresswoman met with 15 seniors at SF State who could be impacted by the doubling of the interest rates on Stafford loans, which will take effect on July 1, unless legislation passes to supplement the shortfall in the budget. The students who met with the congresswoman were selected by the University after the financial aid office emailed 639 seniors who receive Stafford loans, according to Barbara Hubler, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Blessing of the salmon fleet-San Mateo County Journal (The Daily Journal)
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, center, participated in the traditional blessing of the salmon fleet at Pillar Point Harbor Monday afternoon with Charise McHugh, president of the Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce, left, and Duncan MacLean, a commercial fisherman who runs the Barbara Faye, at grill.
Watchdog Report Rekindles Debate Over Littoral Combat Ship-National Defense Magazine (National Defense)
One member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said via a spokesman that she would offer an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would call for further investigation of the alleged problems in the Littoral Combat Ship.
‘Send Immediate Help’ to Oakland’s VA, Say Bay Area Reps-The Bay Citizen (The Bay Citizen)
Sixteen members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki Thursday, urging him to “send immediate help” to his agency’s Oakland Regional Office, which handles all disability claims filed by veterans from Bakersfield to the Oregon border.
Pentagon response on rape in military not enough (SF Gate)
Female service members who suffered rape and sexual assault from their fellow soldiers have been further victimized by indifference from the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged as much Monday. In a much-needed and long-awaited response to the problem, Panetta announced to members of Congress a series of incremental policy changes on reporting, investigating and prosecuting rapes. “I will change the way they are handled,” he said.
The War on Women’s Pay: Rep. Speier Marks ‘Equal Pay Day’ With a Call to Arms (The Daily Beast)
Jackie Speier describes herself as a fighter, and rightly so. In 1978, she survived being shot five times while investigating human-rights abuses by Rev. Jim Jones at his People’s Temple compound in Jonestown, Guyana—an attack that killed her boss, Congressman Leo Ryan. Fourteen years later, Speier overcame another tragedy, losing her husband in a car accident when she was pregnant with her second child. Now, the congresswoman from California is a member of both the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and the Pro-Choice Caucus, fighting to promote legislation to improve women’s lives. Last year on the House floor, she faced down opponents of abortion, sharing a personal story of an abortion she herself endured due to complications with her pregnancy. Her latest fight: fair pay for women. We tracked her down on Equal Pay Day to see how that’s going.
Paperwork Buries Veterans’ Disability Claims (New York Times)
Of the nearly 60 V.A. offices around the country, the Oakland office is the slowest. “The place is filled with paper, piles of it, everywhere,” said Representative Jackie Speier, a Democrat from San Mateo who toured the Oakland office last month as part of a meeting with the agency’s regional director on behalf of a group of constituents with claims dating as far back as six years. According to Ms. Speier, the backlog in Oakland has grown so severe that all new claims are immediately sent to V.A. offices in Lincoln, Neb., and Muskogee, Okla., where the backlog is less serious. “It is an epidemic of delay,” Ms. Speier said. “I did not exactly leave invigorated.”
From tragedy, hope arises for young chefs-The Daily Journal (San Mateo County)
“Sue Bullis has done an extraordinary thing by taking her grief, which is huge, and turning it into a very positive remembrance of her son,” said U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo. Speier, who recently attended a benefit for the scholarship fund, had the chance to meet Ortiz. “I’m sure [Sue Bullis] sees Will moving through these young culinary talents,” she said.
Lawmaker wearing hoodie removed from House floor (CNN)
A congressman was removed from the House floor Wednesday after giving a speech about Trayvon Martin while wearing a hoodie. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois, told House members, “racial profiling has to stop.” Rush said he and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, were organizing a gathering of House members wearing hoodies on the East Front of the Capitol later this week.
Women’s Health Forum At SFSU Focuses On Access To Contraceptives (CBS News, San Francisco)
A women’s health forum held Thursday at San Francisco State University focused on the timely topic of access to contraceptives. Advocates equated the recent debates on the issue to watching a battle won 50 years ago being waged again. The Women’s Health Forum was hosted by Rep. Jackie Speier (CA-12) and titled “Don’t Turn Back the Clock.”
SFO Launches Anti-Human Trafficking Program (SFist)
Thanks to the efforts of Congresswoman Jackie Speier and former flight attendant Nancy Rivard, San Francisco International Airport will become the first hub in the country to have staff trained to identify and stop human trafficking. Rivard, who used to work for American Airlines, started the non-profit Airline Ambassadors after realizing that the airline industry has simplified the work of domestic sex traffickers and those who seek to exploit children. Rivard and her group were on hand yesterday to train industry employees to spot warning signs like young children boarding alone, especially those who are “afraid of uniformed security, unsure of where they’re going, [feeling] frightened, ashamed or nervous.” Warning signs that should seem obvious, but according to Rivard and Speier go unrecognized all too often. As the Congresswoman from San Mateo explained, “It is a problem domestically and internationally. We probably have between 100,000 and 300,000 runaways and foster kids that become victims of sex trafficking in this country.”
Speier links job seekers with employers (SM Daily Journal)
Yesterday’s heavy rain did not dampen the spirits of job seekers as they flooded a hall at the San Mateo County Event Center looking for work at a Job Hunters Boot Camp hosted by U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo. It was the eighth such boot camp Speier has conducted in the past two years and yesterday’s event had a record number of employers, 36, accepting applications. Hundreds of job seekers not only got to visit with employers ready to hire but were also given the opportunity to meet with experts to get advice on how to build a better resumé or be more comfortable while interviewing…“Looking for work in this economy is extremely competitive. The job market is improving with unemployment down to its lowest level in four years. I believe the high number of employers looking to hire is a sign that the job market is finally coming around. My goal … is to keep the momentum going by having job seekers identify their unique skills and matching them with employers who are seeking those skills,” Speier said.
SFO employees receive training on human trafficking (ABC News, San Francisco)
Airline employees at San Francisco International Airport received training on Monday to help prevent one of the fastest growing crimes in the world — human trafficking. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, joined airport and federal security officials to provide the first training of its kind at the airport. Speier says it is estimated that 800,000 victims are taken across international borders each year and forced into sexual slavery.
Speier named ‘fearless’ (SM Daily Journal) (The Daily Beast)
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, has been named one of the world’s most fearless women by Newsweek Magazine for helping to expose the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in the military among other actions. Speier is featured in the magazine’s latest edition that features “150 Women Who Shake the World.” Included on the list are Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Rosanne Barr and Lady Gaga. Another Bay Area woman, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, also made the list.
Should conservatives boycott companies pulling ads from Rush Limbaugh? (San Francisco Examiner)
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) attacked the talk show host on Thursday. “I rise this morning to say to Rush Limbaugh, shame on you,” she said. “Shame on you for being the hatemonger that you are. Shame on you for being misogynistic.” Oddly enough, Speier never demanded a boycott of Ed Schultz after he called conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham a “right wing slut.”
House Dems slam Limbaugh for ‘slut’ remarks (TheHill)
Two House Democrats on Thursday morning criticized radio host Rush Limbaugh for calling a law student who testified to Congress that contraceptives should be provided free a “slut” and a “prostitute.” The two members alternatively suggested that women boycott Limbaugh’s show, or call in and argue the point with him. Limbaugh was widely quoted as saying Wednesday that Sandra Fluke, who testified before Congress in February, was a “slut” or a “prostitute” for calling for free contraception.
House Democrats Protest California’s Proposition 8 (ABC News, San Francisco)
A collection of House Democrats are protesting silently against Proposition 8 Wednesday, participating in a photo shoot to draw attention to California’s state law banning same-sex marriage… Four Democratic lawmakers from California — Reps. Judy Chu, Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee and Jackie Speier — joined Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), William Keating (Mass.), Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Niki Tsongas (Mass.), Jared Polis (Colo.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) in the cause.
Lawmaker Demands DHS Cease Monitoring of Blogs (Social Media-Wired)
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California) said Thursday she wants the Department of Homeland Security to cease its social-media and news-monitoring operation. Speaking at a Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, the California lawmaker said she was “outraged” that the agency has hired a contractor to review a variety of social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, and that General Dynamics is being tasked with reviewing news sources, blogs and their bylines for all types of articles, including those containing anti-American sentiment and reaction to policy proposals. “This should not be a political operation,” she said.
Whistleblowers say PG&E tests miss faulty pipeline welds (ABC News, San Francisco)
PG&E is facing new allegations of faulty welds along its Bay Area natural gas pipelines after two whistleblowers stepped forward. PG&E has been conducting a lot of gas line testing and the intent of that testing program is to identify flaws by subjecting the pipelines to water pressure greater than what they would stand with natural gas. However, two veteran welders have stepped forward saying they see flaws that the testing has not discovered. The CPUC says it will look into the allegations. In the meantime, Congresswoman Jackie Speier issued a statement that, “Immediate action is required by the CPUC and PG&E, and require proof positive that the public is not at risk.”
Silicon Valley rep. congratulates Facebook, promises to keep pressure up on privacy (The Hill)
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), who represents the district just north of Facebook’s headquarters, congratulated the social media giant after it filed papers to begin publicly selling its stocks on Wednesday.”It’s going to make real estate in my district much more valuable and expensive,” she joked. “lt’s going to make a lot of instant millionaires.” “It’s very exciting when a young entrepreneur shows that the American dream continues to be one that we can all attain,” Speier told The Hill Wednesday evening on Capitol Hill. “So more power to him and to all those great Facebook employees.” But she added that she plans to continue scrutinizing the company’s privacy policies. “I still have issues on privacy — I still want them to work on their privacy policies,” she said. Speier was one of several lawmakers who sent a letter to Google last week, grilling the company on recent changes to its privacy policy. She told The Hill that her main concern with social media companies is whether they sell detailed dossiers of user information to other companies.
Calif. Rep. calls for inquiry into stun gun use (San Francisco Chronicle)
A California congresswoman wants an independent investigator to determine whether a federal park ranger used excessive force when she used a stun gun on a man walking his dogs. Rep. Jackie Speier said in a letter to the Golden Gate National Recreational Area Wednesday that its use last weekend appeared to be unwarranted. Park officials say Gary Hesterberg was walking his dogs off leash near Montara in violation of park rules and was hit with a stun gun after he gave the ranger a false name and refused repeated orders to remain at the scene. Speier says she wants more information on the episode and what training park rangers receive in stun gun use.